It will improve way finding, eating behaviour, motor function, independence in dressing, ease of supervision, pleasure, mobility, activities of daily living, self-help, toilet use and interactions.

At DTA we have worked with many organisations to create dementia-friendly environments through our Designing for People with Dementia service. We see the new Aged Care Quality Standards, which represent a clear shift towards autonomy for older Australians, as a great opportunity for this work to really gain some traction and momentum.

Standard 5 goes to the heart of why environment is so important in aged care, stating that organisations must provide “a safe and comfortable service environment that promotes the consumer’s independence, function and employment.”

A safe environment, for example, is one that unobtrusively reduces risk (principle 1). A comfortable environment provides a human scale (principle 2), is familiar (principle 7), manages stimulation (principles 4 and 5) and provides a variety of places to be alone or with others (principle 8).

Consumer independence, function and employment are also addressed in the design principles.

A good place to start, to assess a building on its strengths and weaknesses for people living with dementia, is our free BEAT-D App.

At DTA we are guided by a salutogenic approach, which focusses on factors that support health and wellbeing, and enable a person living with dementia to live the fullest life they possibly can. Through our environmental design work we’ve seen so many changes in peoples’ lives resulting from changes in the environment. From simple changes that help a person recognise which is their bedroom, to larger-scale changes such as play equipment in residential care which increases family visits and cross-generational interaction.

There is a now, thankfully, a growing understanding that the environment is a key resource staff have at their disposal as they support older people. Staff will always be the key, but trained staff who know how to use an environment to deliver quality care, is what will change older people’s lives the most.

Reducing ineffective and dangerous medications

An alarmingly high proportion of people living with dementia in residential care use antipsychotic medications, even though they are of limited benefit for the majority of ‘symptoms’ for which they are prescribed

Did you know…
Visit your DTA Profile at any time to access your active courses, see your pending enrolments, view your completed courses and download a Certificate. You can also manage your personal details and password.

Complete the requested fields e.g. Which of the following reasons best describe why you engaged with this DTA training option?

Click the Request a Booking for this Course button

You will receive an automated confirmation email and your pending course enrolment will show in your DTA Profile under My Courses > Pending Enrolments.

On the course start date, your registration will be approved and an email sent to you containing a link to get started. At this time, you can also access/begin your course by visiting your DTA Profile > My Courses > Current Courses > Click green Go to Course button

If you don’t receive an email after registering for a course, please know that you can always access your courses and pending enrolments in your DTA Profile.

How to access a course in your DTA Profile

Log in to your DTA Profile (button website top right)

Click My Courses

You will see a list of your current courses, completed courses and pending course enrolments.

To begin a course, visit the Current Courses tab > click the green ‘Go to Course’ button

Note: Pending enrolments are approved the morning of the course start date. Once this approval process occurs, you will receive an email containing information on how to get started. At this time, you can also access/begin your course by visiting your DTA Profile > My Courses > Current Courses > Click green Go to Course button

All course enrolments remain Pending until the morning of the course start date. At this time, pending course enrolments are approved, and an email is sent to learners containing information on how they can get started.

At this time, you can also access/commence your course by visiting your DTA Profile > My Courses > Current Courses > Click green Go to Course button

Your new DTA password will be emailed to the email address you entered during sign up.
Please check your junk/spam folder if you don’t receive the password straight after you have submitted your details.